Odds & Ends 11/14

Woman attempts to spend a one-sided bill SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A woman’s attempt to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a gas station was easily foiled when the clerk realized something odd: It was blank on one side. Leah R. Jarolimek, 21, of Cedar Grove, was charged with a felony count of forgery after her failed attempt to buy chips and cigarettes, according to a complaint filed Friday in Sheboygan County Circuit Court. Jarolimek handed her driver’s license to the clerk early Wednesday to prove she was old enough to buy cigarettes and the bill, according to the complaint. The cashier told police the bill was placed face up on the counter but it felt suspicious when she picked it up. Teresa Wells said she flipped over the bill and found it blank. Jarolimek replied she didn’t know it was fake, the complaint said. Wells said Jarolimek had to pay for the chips, which had been opened. When Jarolimek went to her car to get money, Wells copied Jarolimek’s information from the driver’s license. Jarolimek faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $10,000 if convicted.Military women received wedding gowns free of charge WEXFORD, Pa. — One formal wear store experimented with the most literal of Veterans Day sales. Pete Scolieri, who owns One Enchanted Evening in the Pittsburgh suburb of Pine Township with his wife, Linda, said they wanted to show support for the troops. They decided on giving away 120 new wedding gowns to women with military experience or those who are engaged to past or present servicemen. ‘‘This is just fantastic,’’ said Rosalind Ramos-Alvarez, who has been in the military for 21 years. She set aside two ivory gowns to try for size. Most giveaway gowns retailed between $500 and $2,000, but one dress was listed for $5,850. One Enchanted Evening donated 100 dresses and several vendors donated 20 others. ‘‘It’s just a matter of hey, these guys are over there, whether they want to or not, whether they believe in the cause or not. So how can we give something to them?’’ said Pete Scolieri.Car owners blame dead people for their tickets SYDNEY, Australia — Hundreds of Australian drivers have come up with a way to weasel out of tickets: Blame it on a dead guy. More than 200 motorists have avoided parking and speeding fines by accusing either a dead man or an out-of-state resident for their errors, police said Saturday. Under New South Wales state law, if car owners sign a sworn statement that they were not driving the vehicle when an offense was committed, they can avoid paying speed camera fines that arrive by mail and parking tickets left under windshield wipers. A recent government audit of the excuses given in those sworn statements revealed that 238 motorists had blamed one of two people: a dead man and a person living in neighboring South Australia state, Police Superintendent Daryl Donnolly said in a statement. Police say a 53-year-old businessman from South Australia has been unfairly flooded with traffic fines. He believes the scam started after he rented a sports car in Sydney. Some $61,000 of fines have been avoided this way in the past three years, Donnolly said. He said car owners charged with swearing false statements face up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.City will not allow many to keep money that was found in a junk yard NEENAH, Wis. — A sanitation worker who found $1,900 attached to a discarded desk at a city scrap heap says he deserves the money — but the city won’t give it up. ‘‘It’s been very hard on me for being honest and then being told that because you’re honest we’re going to pat you on the back and take your money,’’ David Voight said. Voight, 52, found the cash in July, in envelopes attached by magnets to the underside of the metal desk at a junk drop-off site. Voight turned the money over to police and waited for someone to claim it within 90 days. Now that the 90 days are up and no one claimed the money, city officials have been wrangling over what to do with it. City Attorney James Godlewski said the city owns the money if Voight found it within the scope of his duties, but if he was acting as a private citizen, it would belong to him. Voight said he had permission to scavenge things from the scrap heap, and he was doing it on his own time when he found the money. ‘‘It wasn’t mine to begin with,’’ Voight said. ‘‘But it kind of rubbed me the wrong way that all of a sudden the council said since it was found on city property you can’t have it.’’

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